Sunday, June 12, 2011

Hi everyone!! I have had a really great past couple of weeks and have lots to share with you about what's been going on with me and my artwork!

My family and I went to celebrate my sister's birthday at the lake this past weekend. We rented a big house by the lake and everyone stayed for three days. We had an absolute blast! It was great being able to see everyone for a concentrated amount of time. My sister and her husband have a boat, so we had a great time boating, tubing, skiing, hanging out on the dock, swimming, etc...! Lots of great food and good times. =)

And this weekend, my husband and I have our good friends visiting us from Ohio! We are absolutely thrilled they decided to come down to see us. I'm typing this as everyone's sleeping! I'm trying to finish it up before everyone gets up because we'll probably head out to do something fun! We may go to Stone Mountain or Helen or...who knows! But we'll definitely have fun. =)

There has been so much going on with my artwork that I wanted to tell you all about! I have released my tattoo inspired mermaid, Mina, on all my products, I have a new painting in the works, I have an awesome giveaway to tell you about, Uniquely Different Bags has created new bags featuring my artwork, and I also took pictures of my inventory and production area that I wanted to share with you all.

Mina - Now Available on All Products

This past week, I made Mina available on all my prints and products! The original of Mina sold very quickly, so if you had your eye on her, now is a great time to pick up something with her on it! She is now available in my Etsy store and my website on ACEO, 5x7 and 8x10 prints, stickers, magnets, bookmarks, pocket mirrors, buttons and printable coloring pages.

I am hard at work on a brand new painting and a brand new series! I decided to create a series of fruit inspired witches. All the witches will be sitting on fruit and have outfits inspired by that fruit! They will also have similar backgrounds so they will look fantastic arranged on a wall all together...maybe in a kitchen? =)

The first installment is strawberry! I had a naming contest which Heather Savino won! I decided to name her Sydney. I thought it fit her perfectly.

Here are a few pictures of Sydney's work in progress. The first picture is the sketch which will be available for purchase at some point. The second picture is the black and white digital lines I created in Photoshop which will be available as a coloring page very soon. The third picture is the current state of the painting. I just got the background finished and will be starting on the witch next. I hope you all enjoy her!

Printables Giveaway

I recently hit 200 fans on my Facebook Fan page and wanted to have a giveaway to celebrate and to thank everyone for their support! I am giving away 3 of my printable items (including coloring pages and printable collage sheets). Please see this blog entry for more details!

Uniquely Different Bags - New Purses

Uniquely Different Bags is the company that makes all of my purses and they have some fantastic new purses available featuring my newest and most popular images! Be sure to visit my section in their Etsy shop to see all of the possible selections. Also, if there is a particular image of mine you would like on a purse, but don't see it listed, just contact their store or myself and they will make one custom for you!

Where I Work

One of my favorite things, is when artists take pictures of their studios and the places where they create their artwork. It's so interesting to see how everyone else organizes their things and sets up their work areas. I recently just reorganized and cleaned my production/inventory area, so I wanted to take pictures to show you all!

This is the main area where I make all my products and also where I keep all my inventory! The left shelf is mostly where all my inventory is. I don't keep a huge inventory as I make a lot of things to order. On the right side, is where I keep all my papers and other materials that I use in product creation. The table is where I create everything! You can also see some of my paintings hanging in a grouping in a wall and also a fun acrylic flower painting that I did.

This is the side where I keep all my inventory. Most everything that I have made is on the first two shelves in a lot of bins. Luckily, pretty much everything I make is really small (stickers, mirrors, bookmarks, etc...), so you can actually fit a LOT of inventory in those small bins. The prints are all on the top shelf. On the bottom shelf you can see some of the bins that I keep my button maker and button parts in. And there's also some cardboard on the bottom shelf that I use for shipping.

This is the side where I keep all my paper. I have so many different types of paper, so I try to keep it organized. You can also see some of my reference/inspiration books - though there are many more spread out lol.

I'm so excited to finally have some of my very own artwork hanging up in my home! I chose Arden, Tracey, Mina and Heather...matted and framed them, then hung them up in a grouping. I really like how it came out!

And a picture of my production area wouldn't be completely without my two cats! They are always around me and helping me make your products lol. That's Jensen on the left our tuxedo cat we've had for about 6 years now and that's Willow on the right, a torti who we just got this past Christmas.

Well, that's all for this week! I am probably not going to have a lot of time to do much of anything this coming week. It seems to be that time of year where there are just so many things going on in my personal life. My husband's birthday is this Tuesday, I have a graduation party and Father's Day this weekend. So I may be a little quiet, but you know me, I always find time to do a few things! I will definitely be working on Sydney. I think she will paint up quickly, so you may be seeing the finished version very soon. Hope you all have a great week!

Secondly, you must make a post on my blog under this entry and let me know what your favorite piece of mine is and why! You don't have to be super descriptive. You can just say "Cassia because I like witches" or "Vienna because I like hearts." You can see all my images here.

And lastly, make sure to put the name you use on Facebook so that I can verify you are a Facebook Fan!

My blog is set up to accept anonymous comments, so you can post if you don't have an account. If for some reason, you are having difficulties posting on my blog, you can email your favorite piece, reason and Facebook name to nikki@aurella-art.com!

Deadline:

You must post below before Wednesday, June 15th at noon EST. I will randomly select one person that posts and announce that winner sometime Wednesday, June 15th after noon.

If you have any questions, let me know and thank you so much for your support of my artwork!

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About Me

Hello! My name is Nikki Burnette and I am a fantasy artist. I paint all sorts of fantastical creatures in watercolor. Fantasy art is where my heart lies. I love being able to escape the reality of our world for even just a few hours and enter a new fantasy realm where witches play tricks on Halloween Night, fairies fly around the sweet smelling rosebuds, and mermaids swim gracefully through the water with their dolphin friends. I sell my original paintings as well as a wide range of different products that I create myself in my studio. Thanks for stopping by!